Stats: Rohit Sharma breaks the world record for most sixes in a Test series

Rohit Sharma breaking six-hitting records has become a norm ever since he became India’s regular opener in 2013 for the limited-overs international cricket. In that year, Rohit created a record for the most number of sixes in an ODI and also in an ODI series. Though both the records have been broken this year, his big-hitting across all formats hasn’t stopped. He is now the leading six-hitter in the T20I format and also set a record for most sixes in a Test match during his maiden Test as an opener this month.

Rohit Sharma hit as many as 13 sixes during the game played in Vizag against South Africa while scoring centuries in both innings. The frequency at which Rohit hits sixes is quite high in general and is higher than some of the power-hitters at this stage. No player is close to his tally of sixes in the last six years. In the second Test against the Proteas, Rohit registered a low score but bounced back with a gritty hundred in the ongoing Ranchi Test.

The Indian opener saw through the opening hour where India lost three wickets after electing to bat first. Rohit made sure his hard work didn’t get wasted with his 3rd century of the series. He smashed four sixes on the first day’s play with the 4th one bringing up his 6th century in the longer format. With the 3rd six of this knock, Rohit Sharma set a new record for the most number of sixes by a player in a Test series.

He thus broke the record of Shimron Hetmyer who hit 15 sixes during the two-match series against Bangladesh last December. As many as six players hit exactly 14 sixes in a Test series but no one could go past that mark until Hetmyer. Rohit now has 17 maximums across four innings in this series. 11 of those came in the bowling of the off-spinner Dane Piedt.

The six-hitting in this series is quite high compared to the standards of Test cricket. As many as 53 sixes have been recorded in this series till the end of the first day of the Ranchi Test. These are the 3rd most sixes in a Test series and the most in a series hosted by India. The home team alone struck 39 sixes and are only two behind creating the record for the most number of sixes by a team in a Test series.

Most number of sixes by a player in a Test series:

(Stats as on October 19, 2019)